Course 311: Michaelmas Term 2005

Part III: Topics in Commutative Algebra

D. R. Wilkins

Contents
3 Topics in Commutative Algebra 2
3.1 Rings and Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
3.2 Ideals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
3.3 Quotient Rings and Homomorphisms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3.4 The Characteristic of a Ring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.5 Polynomial Rings in Several Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.6 Algebraic Sets and the Zariski Topology . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3.7 Modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
3.8 Noetherian Modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
3.9 Noetherian Rings and Hilbert’s Basis Theorem . . . . . . . . . 18
3.10 The Structure of Algebraic Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
3.11 Maximal Ideals and Zorn’s Lemma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
3.12 Prime Ideals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
3.13 Affine Varieties and Irreducibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
3.14 Radical Ideals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

1
3 Topics in Commutative Algebra
3.1 Rings and Fields
Definition A ring consists of a set R on which are defined operations of
addition and multiplication satisfying the following axioms:
• x+y = y+x for all elements x and y of R (i.e., addition is commutative);
• (x + y) + z = x + (y + z) for all elements x, y and z of R (i.e., addition
is associative);
• there exists an an element 0 of R (known as the zero element) with the
property that x + 0 = x for all elements x of R;
• given any element x of R, there exists an element −x of R with the
property that x + (−x) = 0;
• x(yz) = (xy)z for all elements x, y and z of R (i.e., multiplication is
associative);
• x(y + z) = xy + xz and (x + y)z = xz + yz for all elements x, y and z
of R (the Distributive Law ).

Lemma 3.1 Let R be a ring. Then x0 = 0 and 0x = 0 for all elements x of

R.

Proof The zero element 0 of R satisfies 0 + 0 = 0. Using the Distributive

Law, we deduce that x0 + x0 = x(0 + 0) = x0 and 0x + 0x = (0 + 0)x = 0x.
Thus if we add −(x0) to both sides of the identity x0 + x0 = x0 we see that
x0 = 0. Similarly if we add −(0x) to both sides of the identity 0x + 0x = 0x
we see that 0x = 0.

Lemma 3.2 Let R be a ring. Then (−x)y = −(xy) and x(−y) = −(xy) for
all elements x and y of R.

Proof It follows from the Distributive Law that xy +(−x)y = (x+(−x))y =

0y = 0 and xy + x(−y) = x(y + (−y)) = x0 = 0. Therefore (−x)y = −(xy)
and x(−y) = −(xy).

A subset S of a ring R is said to be a subring of R if 0 ∈ S, a + b ∈ S,

−a ∈ S and ab ∈ S for all a, b ∈ S.
A ring R is said to be commutative if xy = yx for all x, y ∈ R. Not every
ring is commutative: an example of a non-commutative ring is provided by
the ring of n × n matrices with real or complex coefficients when n > 1.

2
 A ring R is said to be unital if it possesses a (necessarily unique) non-zero
multiplicative identity element 1 satisfying 1x = x = x1 for all x ∈ R.

Definition A unital commutative ring R is said to be an integral domain if

the product of any two non-zero elements of R is itself non-zero.

Definition A field consists of a set K on which are defined operations of

addition and multiplication satisfying the following axioms:

• x+y = y+x for all elements x and y of K (i.e., addition is commutative);

• (x + y) + z = x + (y + z) for all elements x, y and z of K (i.e., addition

is associative);

• there exists an an element 0 of K known as the zero element with the

property that x + 0 = x for all elements x of K;

• given any element x of K, there exists an element −x of K with the

property that x + (−x) = 0;

• xy = yx for all elements x and y of K (i.e., multiplication is commuta-

tive);

• x(yz) = (xy)z for all elements x, y and z of K (i.e., multiplication is

associative);

• there exists a non-zero element 1 of K with the property that 1x = x

for all elements x of K;

• given any non-zero element x of K, there exists an element x−1 of K

with the property that xx−1 = 1;

• x(y + z) = xy + xz and (x + y)z = xz + yz for all elements x, y and z

of K (the Distributive Law ).

An examination of the relevant definitions shows that a unital commuta-

tive ring R is a field if and only if, given any non-zero element x of R, there
exists an element x−1 of R such that xx−1 = 1. Moreover a ring R is a field
if and only if the set of non-zero elements of R is an Abelian group with
respect to the operation of multiplication.

Lemma 3.3 A field is an integral domain.

3
Proof A field is a unital commutative ring. Let x and y be non-zero elements
of a field K. Then there exist elements x−1 and y −1 of K such that xx−1 = 1
and yy −1 = 1. Then xyy −1 x−1 = 1. It follows that xy 6= 0, since 0(y −1 x−1 ) =
0 and 1 6= 0.

The set Z of integers is an integral domain with respect to the usual

operations of addition and multiplication. The sets Q, R and C of rational,
real and complex numbers are fields.

3.2 Ideals
Definition Let R be a ring. A subset I of R is said to be an ideal of R if
0 ∈ I, a + b ∈ I, −a ∈ I, ra ∈ I and ar ∈ I for all a, b ∈ I and r ∈ R. An
ideal I of R is said to be a proper ideal of R if I 6= R.

Note that an ideal I of a unital ring R is proper if and only if 1 6∈ I.

Indeed if 1 ∈ I then r ∈ I for all r ∈ R, since r = r1.

Lemma 3.4 A unital commutative ring R is a field if and only if the only
ideals of R are {0} and R.

Proof Suppose that R is a field. Let I be a non-zero ideal of R. Then

there exists x ∈ I satisfying x 6= 0. Moreover there exists x−1 ∈ R satisfying
xx−1 = 1 = x−1 x. Therefore 1 ∈ I, and hence I = R. Thus the only ideals
of R are {0} and R.
Conversely, suppose that R is a unital commutative ring with the property
that the only ideals of R are {0} and R. Let x be a non-zero element of R,
and let Rx denote the subset of R consisting of all elements of R that are of
the form rx for some r ∈ R. It is easy to verify that Rx is an ideal of R. (In
order to show that yr ∈ Rx for all y ∈ Rx and r ∈ R, one must use the fact
that the ring R is commutative.) Moreover Rx 6= {0}, since x ∈ Rx. We
deduce that Rx = R. Therefore 1 ∈ Rx, and hence there exists some element
x−1 of R satisfying x−1 x = 1. This shows that R is a field, as required.

The intersection of any collection of ideals of a ring R is itself an ideal

of R. For if a and b are elements of R that belong to all the ideals in the
collection, then the same is true of 0, a + b, −a, ra and ar for all r ∈ R.
Let X be a subset of the ring R. The ideal of R generated by X is defined
to be the intersection of all the ideals of R that contain the set X. Note that
this ideal is well-defined and is the smallest ideal of R containing the set X
(i.e., it is contained in every other ideal that contains the set X).

4
 We denote by (f1 , f2 , . . . , fk ) the ideal of R generated by any finite subset
{f1 , f2 , . . . , fk } of R. We say that an ideal I of the ring R is finitely generated
if there exists a finite subset of I which generates the ideal I.

Lemma 3.5 Let R be a unital commutative ring, and let X be a subset of

R. Then the ideal generated by X coincides with the set of all elements of
R that can be expressed as a finite sum of the form r1 x1 + r2 x2 + · · · + rk xk ,
where x1 , x2 , . . . , xk ∈ X and r1 , r2 , . . . , rk ∈ R.

Proof Let I be the subset of R consisting of all these finite sums. If J is any
ideal of R which contains the set X then J must contain each of these finite
sums, and thus I ⊂ J. Let a and b be elements of I. It follows immediately
from the definition of I that 0 ∈ I, a + b ∈ I, −a ∈ I, and ra ∈ I for all
r ∈ R. Also ar = ra, since R is commutative, and thus ar ∈ I. Thus I
is an ideal of R. Moreover X ⊂ I, since the ring R is unital and x = 1x
for all x ∈ X. Thus I is the smallest ideal of R containing the set X, as
required.

Each integer n generates an ideal nZ of the ring Z of integers. This ideal

consists of those integers that are divisible by n.

Lemma 3.6 Every ideal of the ring Z of integers is generated by some non-
negative integer n.

Proof The zero ideal is of the required form with n = 0. Let I be some
non-zero ideal of Z. Then I contains at least one strictly positive integer
(since −m ∈ I for all m ∈ I). Let n be the smallest strictly positive integer
belonging to I. If j ∈ I then we can write j = qn + r for some integers q
and r with 0 ≤ r < n. Now r ∈ I, since r = j − qn, j ∈ I and qn ∈ I.
But 0 ≤ r < n, and n is by definition the smallest strictly positive integer
belonging to I. We conclude therefore that r = 0, and thus j = qn. This
shows that I = nZ, as required.

3.3 Quotient Rings and Homomorphisms

Let R be a ring and let I be an ideal of R. If we regard R as an Abelian
group with respect to the operation of addition, then the ideal I is a (normal)
subgroup of R, and we can therefore form a corresponding quotient group
R/I whose elements are the cosets of I in R. Thus an element of R/I is of
the form I + x for some x ∈ R, and I + x = I + x0 if and only if x − x0 ∈ I. If

5
x, x0 , y and y 0 are elements of R satisfying I + x = I + x0 and I + y = I + y 0
then
(x + y) − (x0 + y 0 ) = (x − x0 ) + (y − y 0 ),
xy − x0 y 0 = xy − xy 0 + xy 0 − x0 y 0 = x(y − y 0 ) + (x − x0 )y 0 .

But x − x0 and y − y 0 belong to I, and also x(y − y 0 ) and (x − x0 )y 0 belong

to I, since I is an ideal. It follows that (x + y) − (x0 + y 0 ) and xy − x0 y 0
both belong to I, and thus I + x + y = I + x0 + y 0 and I + xy = I + x0 y 0 .
Therefore the quotient group R/I admits well-defined operations of addition
and multiplication, given by
(I + x) + (I + y) = I + x + y, (I + x)(I + y) = I + xy
for all I +x ∈ R/I and I +y ∈ R/I. One can readily verify that R/I is a ring
with respect to these operations. We refer to the ring R/I as the quotient of
the ring R by the ideal I.

Example Let n be an integer satisfying n > 1. The quotient Z/nZ of the

ring Z of integers by the ideal nZ generated by n is the ring of congruence
classes of integers modulo n. This ring has n elements, and is a field if and
only if n is a prime number.

Definition A function ϕ: R → S from a ring R to a ring S is said to be a

homomorphism (or ring homomorphism) if and only if ϕ(x+y) = ϕ(x)+ϕ(y)
and ϕ(xy) = ϕ(x)ϕ(y) for all x, y ∈ R. If in addition the rings R and S are
unital then a homomorphism ϕ: R → S is said to be unital if ϕ(1) = 1 (i.e.,
ϕ maps the identity element of R onto that of S).

Let R and S be rings, and let ϕ: R → S be a ring homomorphism. Then

the kernel ker ϕ of the homomorphism ϕ is an ideal of R, where
ker ϕ = {x ∈ R : ϕ(x) = 0}.
The image ϕ(R) of the homomorphism is a subring of S; however it is not
in general an ideal of S.
An ideal I of a ring R is the kernel of the quotient homomorphism that
sends x ∈ R to the coset I + x.

Definition An isomorphism ϕ: R → S between rings R and S is a ho-

momorphism that is also a bijection between R and S. The inverse of an
isomorphism is itself an isomorphism. Two rings are said to be isomorphic
if there is an isomorphism between them.

6
 The verification of the following result is a straightforward exercise.

Proposition 3.7 Let ϕ: R → S be a homomorphism from a ring R to a

ring S, and let I be an ideal of R satisfying I ⊂ ker ϕ. Then there exists a
unique homomorphism ϕ: R/I → S such that ϕ(I + x) = ϕ(x) for all x ∈ R.
Moreover ϕ: R/I → S is injective if and only if I = ker ϕ.

Corollary 3.8 Let ϕ: R → S be ring homomorphism. Then ϕ(R) is isomor-

phic to R/ ker ϕ.

3.4 The Characteristic of a Ring

Let R be a ring, and let r ∈ R. We may define n.r for all natural numbers n
by recursion on n so that 1.r = r and n.r = (n − 1).r + r for all n > 0. We
define also 0.r = 0 and (−n).r = −(n.r) for all natural numbers n. Then

(m + n).r = m.r + n.r, n.(r + s) = n.r + n.s,

(mn).r = m.(n.r), (m.r)(n.s) = (mn).(rs)

for all integers m an n and for all elements r and s of R.
In particular, suppose that R is a unital ring. Then the set of all integers n
satisfying n.1 = 0 is an ideal of Z. Therefore there exists a unique non-
negative integer p such that pZ = {n ∈ Z : n.1 = 0} (see Lemma 3.6). This
integer p is referred to as the characteristic of the ring R, and is denoted by
charR.

Lemma 3.9 Let R be an integral domain. Then either charR = 0 or else

charR is a prime number.

Proof Let p = charR. Clearly p 6= 1. Suppose that p > 1 and p = jk, where
j and k are positive integers. Then (j.1)(k.1) = (jk).1 = p.1 = 0. But R is
an integral domain. Therefore either j.1 = 0, or k.1 = 0. But if j.1 = 0 then
p divides j and therefore j = p. Similarly if k.1 = 0 then k = p. It follows
that p is a prime number, as required.

3.5 Polynomial Rings in Several Variables

A monomial in the independent indeterminates x1 , x2 , . . . , xn is by definition
an expression of the form xi11 xi22 · · · xinn , where i1 , i2 , . . . , in are non-negative
integers. Such monomials are multiplied according to the rule

xi11 xi22 · · · xinn xj11 xj22 · · · xjnn = xi11 +j1 xi22 +j2 · · · xinn +jn .

7
A polynomial p in the independent indeterminates with coefficients in some
ring R is by definition a formal linear combination of the form
r1 m 1 + r2 m 2 + · · · + r k m k
where r1 , r2 , . . . , rk ∈ R and m1 , m2 , . . . , mk are monomials in x1 , x2 , . . . , xn .
The coefficients r1 , r2 , . . . , rk of this polynomial are uniquely determined,
provided that the monomials m1 , m2 , . . . , mk are distinct. Such polynomials
are added and multiplied together in the obvious fashion. In particular
k
! l
! k X l
X X X
ri m i sj m0j = (ri sj )(mi m0j ),
i=1 j=1 i=1 j=1

where the product mi m0j of the monomials mi and m0j is defined as de-
scribed above. The set of all polynomials in the independent indeterminates
x1 , x2 , . . . , xn with coefficients in the ring R is itself a ring, which we denote
by R[x1 , x2 , . . . , xn ].
Example The polynomial 2x1 x32 −6x1 x2 x23 is the product of the polynomials
2x1 x2 and x22 − 3x23 in the ring Z[x1 , x2 , x3 ] of polynomials in x1 , x2 , x3 with
integer coefficients.
Lemma 3.10 Let R be an integral domain. Then the ring R[x] of polynomi-
als in the indeterminate x with coefficients in R is itself an integral domain,
and deg(pq) = deg p + deg q for all non-zero polynomials p, q ∈ R[x].
Proof The integral domain R is commutative, hence so is R[x]. Moreover
R[x] is unital, and the multiplicative identity element of R[x] is the constant
polynomial whose coefficient is the multiplicative identity element 1 of the
unital ring R.
Let p and q be polynomials in R[x], and let ak and bl be the leading
coefficients of p and q respectively, where k = deg p and l = deg q. Now
p(x)q(x) = ak bl xk+l + terms of lower degree.
Moreover ak bl 6= 0, since ak 6= 0, bl 6= 0, and the ring R of coefficients is an
integral domain. Thus if p 6= 0 and q 6= 0 then pq 6= 0, showing that R[x] is
an integral domain, and deg(pq) = k + l = deg p + deg q, as required.
Let p be a polynomial in the indeterminates x1 , x2 , . . . , xn with coefficients
in the ring R, where n > 1. By collecting together terms involving xjn for
each non-negative integer j, we can write the polynomial p in the form
k
X
p(x1 , x2 , . . . , xn ) = pj (x1 , x2 , . . . , xn−1 )xjn
j=0

8
where pj ∈ R[x1 , x2 , . . . , xn−1 ] for j = 0, 1, . . . , k. Now the right hand side
of the above identity can be viewed as a polynomial in the indeterminate xn
with coefficients p1 , p2 , . . . , pk in the ring R[x1 , . . . , xn−1 ]. Moreover the poly-
nomial p uniquely determines and is uniquely determined by the polynomi-
als p1 , p2 , . . . , pk . It follows from this that the rings R[x1 , x2 , . . . , xn ] and
R[x1 , x2 , . . . , xn−1 ][xn ] are naturally isomorphic and can be identified with
one another. We can use the identification in order to prove results con-
cerning the structure of the polynomial ring R[x1 , x2 , . . . , xn ] by induction
on the number n of independent indeterminates x1 , x2 , . . . , xn . For example,
the following result follows directly by induction on n, using Lemma 3.10.

Lemma 3.11 Let R be an integral domain. Then the ring R[x1 , x2 , . . . , xn ]

is also an integral domain.

A monomial xi11 xi22 · · · xinn is said to be of degree d, where d is some non-

negative integer, if i1 + i2 + · · · + in = d.

Definition Let R be a ring. A polynomial p ∈ R[x1 , x2 , . . . , xn ] is said to

be homogeneous of degree d if it can be expressed as a linear combination of
monomials of degree d with coefficients in the ring R.

Any polynomial p ∈ R[x1 , x2 , . . . , xn ] can be decomposed as a sum of the

form
p(0) + p(1) + · · · + p(k) ,
where k is some sufficiently large non-negative integer and each polynomial
p(i) is a homogeneous polynomial of degree i. The homogeneous polynomial
p(i) is referred to as the homogeneous component of p of degree i; it is uniquely
determined by p. A non-zero polynomial p is said to be of degree d if p(d) 6= 0
and p(i) = 0 for all i > d. The degree of a non-zero polynomial p is denoted
by deg p.

Lemma 3.12 Let R be a ring, and let p and q be non-zero polynomials

belonging to R[x1 , x2 , . . . , xn ]. Then

deg(p + q) ≤ max(deg p, deg q), provided that p + q 6= 0,

deg(pq) ≤ deg p + deg q, provided that pq 6= 0.

Moreover if R is an integral domain then pq 6= 0 and deg(pq) = deg p + deg q.

9
Proof The inequality (p + q) ≤ max(deg p, deg q) is obvious. Also p(i) q (j) is
homogeneous of degree i + j for all i and j, since the product of a monomial
of degree i and a monomial of degree j is a monomial of degree i + j. The
inequality deg(pq) ≤ deg p + deg q follows immediately.
Now suppose that R is an integral domain. Let k = deg p and l =
deg q. Then the homogeneous component (pq)(k+l) of pq of degree k + l is
given by (pq)(k+l) = p(k) q (l) . But R[x1 , x2 , . . . , xn ] is an integral domain (see
Lemma 3.11), and p(k) and q (l) are both non-zero. It follows that (pq)(k+l) 6= 0,
and thus deg(pq) = deg p + deg q, as required.

3.6 Algebraic Sets and the Zariski Topology

Throughout this section, let K be a field.

Definition We define affine n-space An over the field K to be the set K n

of all n-tuples (x1 , x2 , . . . , xn ) with x1 , x2 , . . . , xn ∈ K.

Where it is necessary to specify explicitly the field K involved, we shall

denote affine n-space over the field K by An (K). Thus An (R) = Rn , and
An (C) = Cn .

Definition A subset of n-dimensional affine space An is said to be an alge-

braic set if it is of the form

{(x1 , x2 , . . . , xn ) ∈ An : f (x1 , x2 , . . . , xn ) = 0 for all f ∈ S}

for some subset S of the polynomial ring K[X1 , X2 , . . . , Xn ].

Example Any point of An is an algebraic set. Indeed, given any point

(a1 , a2 , . . . , an ) of An , let fi (X1 , X2 , . . . , Xn ) = Xi − ai for i = 1, 2, . . . , n.
Then the given point is equal to the set

{(x1 , x2 , . . . , xn ) ∈ An : fi (x1 , x2 , . . . , xn ) = 0 for i = 1, 2, . . . , n}.

Example The circle {(x, y) ∈ A2 (R) : x2 + y 2 = 1} is an algebraic set in the

plane A2 (R).

Let λ: K n → K be a linear functional on the vector space K n (i.e., a linear

transformation from K n to K). It follows from elementary linear algebra that
there exist b1 , b2 , . . . , bn ∈ K such that

λ(x1 , x2 , . . . , xn ) = b1 x1 + b2 x2 + · · · + bn xn

10
for all (x1 , x2 , . . . , xn ) ∈ K n . Thus if λ1 , λ2 , . . . , λk are linear functionals on
K n , and if c1 , c2 , . . . , ck are suitable constants belonging to the field K then
{(x1 , x2 . . . , xn ) ∈ An : λi (x1 , x2 , . . . , xn ) = ci for i = 1, 2, . . . , k}
is an algebraic set in An . A set of this type is referred to as an affine subspace
of An . It is said to be of dimension n − k, provided that the linear functionals
λ1 , λ2 , . . . , λk are linearly independent. It follows directly from elementary
linear algebra that, if we we identify affine n-space An with the vector space
K n , then a subset of An is an m-dimensional affine subspace if and only if it
is a translate of some m-dimensional vector subspace of K n (i.e., it is of the
form v + W where v is a point of An and W is some m-dimensional vector
subspace of K n ).
Lemma 3.13 Let V be an algebraic set in An , and let L be a one-dimen-
sional affine subspace of An . Then either L ⊂ V or else L ∩ V is a finite
set.
Proof The affine subspace L is a translate of a one-dimensional subspace
of K n , and therefore there exist vectors v and w in K n such that L =
{v + wt : t ∈ K} (on identifying n-dimensional affine space An with the
vector space K n ). Now we can write
V = {(x1 , x2 , . . . , xn ) ∈ An : f (x1 , x2 , . . . , xn ) = 0 for all f ∈ S},
where S is some subset of the polynomial ring K[X1 , X2 , . . . , Xn ]. Now either
each polynomial belonging to S is zero throughout L, in which case L ⊂ V ,
or else there is some f ∈ S which is non-zero at some point of L. Define
g ∈ K[t] by the formula
g(t) = f (v1 + w1 t, v2 + w2 t, . . . , vn + wn t)
(where vi and wi denote the ith components of the vectors v and w for
i = 1, 2, . . . , n). Then g is a non-zero polynomial in the indeterminate t, and
therefore g has at most finitely many zeros. But g(t) = 0 whenever the point
v + wt of L lies in V . Therefore L ∩ V is finite, as required.
Example The sets
{(x, y) ∈ A2 (R) : y = sin x}
and
{(x, y) ∈ A2 (R) : x ≥ 0}
are not algebraic sets in A2 (R), since the line y = 0 is not contained in either
of these sets, yet the line intersects these sets at infinitely many points of the
set.

11
 Given any subset S of K[X1 , X2 , . . . , Xn ], we denote by V (S) the algebraic
set in An defined by

V (S) = {x ∈ An : f (x) = 0 for all f ∈ S}.

Also, given any f ∈ K[X1 , X2 , . . . , Xn ], we define V (f ) = V ({f }).

Given any subset Z of An , we define

I(Z) = {f ∈ K[X1 , X2 , . . . , Xn ] : f (x) = 0 for all x ∈ Z}.

Clearly S ⊂ I(V (S)) for all subsets S of K[X1 , X2 , . . . , Xn ], and Z ⊂

V (I(Z)) for all subsets Z of An . If S1 and S2 are subsets of K[X1 , X2 , . . . , Xn ]
satisfying S1 ⊂ S2 then V (S2 ) ⊂ V (S1 ). Similarly, if Z1 and Z2 are subsets
of An satisfying Z1 ⊂ Z2 then I(Z2 ) ⊂ I(Z1 ).

Lemma 3.14 V (I(V (S))) = V (S) for all subsets S of K[X1 , X2 , . . . , Xn ],

and similarly I(V (I(Z))) = I(Z) for all subsets Z of An .

Proof It follows from the observations above that V (S) ⊂ V (I(V (S))),
since Z ⊂ V (I(Z)) for all subsets Z of An . But also S ⊂ I(V (S)), and
hence V (I(V (S))) ⊂ V (S). Therefore V (I(V (S))) = V (S). An analogous
argument can be used to show that I(V (I(Z))) = I(Z) for all subsets Z of
An .

Let I and J be ideals of a unital commutative ring R. We denote by

IJ the ideal of R consisting of those elements of R that can be expressed
as finite sums of the form i1 j1 + i2 j2 + · · · + ir jr with i1 , i2 , . . . , ir ∈ I and
j1 , j2 , . . . , jr ∈ J. (One can readily verify that IJ is indeed an ideal of R.)

Proposition 3.15 Let R = K[X1 , X2 , . . . , Xn ] for some field K. Then

(i) V ({0}) = An and V (R) = ∅;

T P

(ii) λ∈Λ V (Iλ ) = V λ∈Λ Iλ for every collection {Iλ : λ ∈ Λ} of ideals
of R;

(iii) V (I) ∪ V (J) = V (I ∩ J) = V (IJ) for all ideals I and J of R.

Thus there is a well-defined topology on An (known as the Zariski topology)

whose closed sets are the algebraic sets in An .

12
Proof (i) is immediate.P P

If
P µ ∈ Λ
then
T Iµ ⊂ λ∈Λ Iλ , and therefore V λ∈Λ Iλ T⊂ V (Iµ ). Thus
V λ∈Λ Iλ ⊂ λ∈Λ V (Iλ ). Conversely if x is a point of λ∈Λ V (Iλ ) then
fP(x) = 0 for allTλ ∈ Λ and f ∈ P Iλ , and
therefore f (x) = T 0 for all f ∈
I
P λ

λ∈Λ . Thus λ∈Λ V (Iλ ) ⊂ V I
λ∈Λ λ . It follows that λ∈Λ V (Iλ ) =
V λ∈Λ Iλ . This proves (ii).
Let I and J be ideals of R. Then I ∩J ⊂ I, I ∩J ⊂ J and IJ ⊂ I ∩J, and
thus V (I) ⊂ V (I ∩ J), V (J) ⊂ V (I ∩ J) and V (I ∩ J) ⊂ V (IJ). Therefore

V (I) ∪ V (J) ⊂ V (I ∩ J) ⊂ V (IJ).

If x is a point of An which does not belong to V (I) ∪ V (J) then there exist
polynomials f ∈ I and g ∈ J such that f (x) 6= 0 and g(x) 6= 0. But
then f g ∈ IJ and f (x)g(x) 6= 0, and therefore x 6∈ V (IJ). Therefore
V (IJ) ⊂ V (I) ∪ V (J). We conclude that

V (I) ∪ V (J) = V (I ∩ J) = V (IJ).

This proves (iii).

Let us define a topology on An whose open sets in An are the complements
of algebraic sets. We see from (i) that ∅ and An are open. Moreover it follows
from (ii) that any union of open sets is open, and it follows from (iii), using
induction on the number of sets, that any finite intersection of open sets is
open. Thus the topology is well-defined.

Definition The Zariski topology on an algebraic set V in An is the topology

whose open sets are of the form V \V (I) for some ideal I of K[X1 , X2 , . . . , Xn ].

It follows from Proposition 3.15 that the Zariski topology on an algebraic

set V is well-defined and is the subspace topology on V induced by the
topology on An whose closed sets are the algebraic sets in An . Moreover a
subset V1 of V is closed if and only if V1 is itself an algebraic set. (This
follows directly from the fact that the intersection of two algebraic sets is
itself an algebraic set.)

Example Any finite subset of An is an algebraic set. This follows from the
fact that any point in An is an algebraic set, and any finite union of algebraic
sets is an algebraic set.

In general, the Zariski topology on an algebraic set V is not Hausdorff.

It can in fact be shown that an algebraic set in An is Hausdorff (with respect
to the Zariski topology) if and only if it consists of a finite set of points in
An .

13
3.7 Modules
Definition Let R be a unital commutative ring. A set M is said to be a
module over R (or R-module) if
(i) given any x, y ∈ M and r ∈ R, there are well-defined elements x + y
and rx of M ,

(ii) M is an Abelian group with respect to the operation + of addition,

(iii) the identities

r(x + y) = rx + ry, (r + s)x = rx + sx,

(rs)x = r(sx), 1x = x
are satisfied for all x, y ∈ M and r, s ∈ R.

Example If K is a field, then a K-module is by definition a vector space

over K.

Example Let (M, +) be an Abelian group, and let x ∈ M . If n is a positive

integer then we define nx to be the sum x + x + · · · + x of n copies of x. If
n is a negative integer then we define nx = −(|n|x), and we define 0x = 0.
This enables us to regard any Abelian group as a module over the ring Z of
integers. Conversely, any module over Z is also an Abelian group.

Example Any unital commutative ring can be regarded as a module over

itself in the obvious fashion.

Let R be a unital commutative ring, and let M be an R-module. A

subset L of M is said to be a submodule of M if x + y ∈ L and rx ∈ L for
all x, y ∈ L and r ∈ R. If M is an R-module and L is a submodule of M
then the quotient group M/L can itself be regarded as an R-module, where
r(L + x) ≡ L + rx for all L + x ∈ M/L and r ∈ R. The R-module M/L is
referred to as the quotient of the module M by the submodule L.
Note that a subset I of a unital commutative ring R is a submodule of R
if and only if I is an ideal of R.
Let M and N be modules over some unital commutative group R. A
function ϕ: M → N is said to be a homomorphism of R-modules if ϕ(x+y) =
ϕ(x)+ϕ(y) and ϕ(rx) = rϕ(x) for all x, y ∈ M and r ∈ R. A homomorphism
of R-modules is said to be an isomorphism if it is invertible. The kernel
ker ϕ and image ϕ(M ) of any homomorphism ϕ: M → N are themselves R-
modules. Moreover if ϕ: M → N is a homomorphism of R-modules, and if L

14
is a submodule of M satisfying L ⊂ ker ϕ, then ϕ induces a homomorphism
ϕ: M/L → N . This induced homomorphism is an isomorphism if and only if
L = ker ϕ and N = ϕ(M ).

Definition Let M1 , M2 , . . . , Mk be modules over a unital commutative ring

R. The direct sum M1 ⊕ M2 ⊕ · · · ⊕ Mk is defined to be the set of ordered
k-tuples (x1 , x2 , . . . , xk ), where xi ∈ Mi for i = 1, 2, . . . , k. This direct sum
is itself an R-module:

(x1 , x2 , . . . , xk ) + (y1 , y2 , . . . , yk ) = (x1 + y1 , x2 + y2 , . . . , xk + yk ),

r(x1 , x2 , . . . , xk ) = (rx1 , rx2 , . . . , rxk )

for all xi , yi ∈ Mi and r ∈ R.

If K is any field, then K n is the direct sum of n copies of K.

Definition Let M be a module over some unital commutative ring R. Given

any subset X of M , the submodule of M generated by the set X is defined
to be the intersection of all submodules of M that contain the set X. It
is therefore the smallest submodule of M that contains the set X. An R-
module M is said to be finitely-generated if it is generated by some finite
subset of itself.

Lemma 3.16 Let M be a module over some unital commutative ring R,

and let {x1 , x2 , . . . , xk } be a finite subset of M . Then the submodule of M
generated by this set consists of all elements of M that are of the form

r1 x 1 + r 2 x 2 + · · · + rk x k

for some r1 , r2 , . . . , rk ∈ R.

Proof The subset of M consisting of all elements of M of this form is clearly

a submodule of M . Moreover it is contained in every submodule of M that
contains the set {x1 , x2 , . . . , xk }. The result follows.

3.8 Noetherian Modules

Definition Let R be a unital commutative ring. An R-module M is said to
be Noetherian if every submodule of M is finitely-generated.

Proposition 3.17 Let R be a unital commutative ring, and let M be a mod-

ule over R. Then the following are equivalent:—

15
 (i) (Ascending Chain Condition) if L1 ⊂ L2 ⊂ L3 ⊂ · · · is an ascending
chain of submodules of M then there exists an integer N such that
Ln = LN for all n ≥ N ;

(ii) (Maximal Condition) every non-empty collection of submodules of M

has a maximal element (i.e., an submodule which is not contained in
any other submodule belonging to the collection);

(iii) (Finite Basis Condition) M is a Noetherian R-module (i.e., every sub-

module of M is finitely-generated).

Proof Suppose that M satisfies the Ascending Chain Condition. Let C be

a non-empty collection of submodules of M . Choose L1 ∈ C. If C were to
contain no maximal element then we could choose, by induction on n, an
ascending chain L1 ⊂ L2 ⊂ L3 ⊂ · · · of submodules belonging to C such that
Ln 6= Ln+1 for all n, which would contradict the Ascending Chain Condition.
Thus M must satisfy the Maximal Condition.
Next suppose that M satisfies the Maximal Condition. Let L be an sub-
module of M , and let C be the collection of all finitely-generated submodules
of M that are contained in L. Now the zero submodule {0} belongs to C,
hence C contains a maximal element J, and J is generated by some finite
subset {a1 , a2 , . . . , ak } of M . Let x ∈ L, and let K be the submodule gen-
erated by {x, a1 , a2 , . . . , ak }. Then K ∈ C, and J ⊂ K. It follows from the
maximality of J that J = K, and thus x ∈ J. Therefore J = L, and thus L
is finitely-generated. Thus M must satisfy the Finite Basis Condition.
Finally suppose that M satisfies the Finite Basis Condition. Let L1 ⊂
L2 ⊂ L3 ⊂ · · · be an ascending chain of submodules of M , and let L be the
+∞
S
union Ln of the submodules Ln . Then L is itself an submodule of M .
n=1
Indeed if a and b are elements of L then a and b both belong to Ln for some
sufficiently large n, and hence a + b, −a and ra belong to Ln , and thus to L,
for all r ∈ M . But the submodule L is finitely-generated. Let {a1 , a2 , . . . , ak }
be a generating set of L. Choose N large enough to ensure that ai ∈ LN for
i = 1, 2, . . . , k. Then L ⊂ LN , and hence LN = Ln = L for all n ≥ N . Thus
M must satisfy the Ascending Chain Condition, as required.

Proposition 3.18 Let R be a unital commutative ring, let M be an R-

module, and let L be a submodule of M . Then M is Noetherian if and only
if L and M/L are Noetherian.

Proof Suppose that the R-module M is Noetherian. Then the submodule L

is also Noetherian, since any submodule of L is also a submodule of M and

16
is therefore finitely-generated. Also any submodule K of M/L is of the form
{L + x : x ∈ J} for some submodule J of M satisfying L ⊂ J. But J
is finitely-generated (since M is Noetherian). Let x1 , x2 , . . . , xk be a finite
generating set for J. Then

L + x1 , L + x2 , . . . , L + xk

is a finite generating set for K. Thus M/L is Noetherian.

Conversely, suppose that L and M/L are Noetherian. We must show that
M is Noetherian. Let J be any submodule of M , and let ν(J) be the image of
J under the quotient homomorphism ν: M → M/L, where ν(x) = L + x for
all x ∈ M . Then ν(J) is a submodule of the Noetherian module M/L and is
therefore finitely-generated. It follows that there exist elements x1 , x2 , . . . , xk
of J such that ν(J) is generated by

L + x1 , L + x2 , . . . , L + xk .

Also J ∩ L is a submodule of the Noetherian module L, and therefore there

exists a finite generating set y1 , y2 , . . . , ym for J ∩ L. We claim that

{x1 , x2 , . . . , xk , y1 , y2 , . . . , ym }

is a generating set for J.

Let z ∈ J. Then there exist r1 , r2 , . . . , rk ∈ R such that

ν(z) = r1 (L + x1 ) + r2 (L + x2 ) + · · · + rk (L + xk ) = L + r1 x1 + r2 x2 + · · · + rk xk .

But then z −(r1 x1 +r2 x2 +· · ·+rk xk ) ∈ J ∩L (since L = ker ν), and therefore
there exist s1 , s2 , . . . , sm such that

z − (r1 x1 + r2 x2 + · · · + rk xk ) = s1 y1 + s2 y2 + · · · + sm ym ,

and thus
k
X m
X
z= ri x i + si y i .
i=1 j=1

This shows that the submodule J of M is finitely-generated. We deduce that

M is Noetherian, as required.

Corollary 3.19 The direct sum M1 ⊕ M2 ⊕ · · · ⊕ Mk of Noetherian modules

M1 , M2 , . . . Nk over some unital commutative ring R is itself a Noetherian
module over R.

17
Proof The result follows easily by induction on k once it has been proved
in the case k = 2.
Let M1 and M2 be Noetherian R-modules. Then M1 ⊕{0} is a Noetherian
submodule of M1 ⊕ M2 isomorphic to M1 , and the quotient of M1 ⊕ M2 by
this submodule is a Noetherian R-module isomorphic to M2 . It follows from
Proposition 3.18 that M1 ⊕ M2 is Noetherian, as required.

One can define also the concept of a module over a non-commutative

ring. Let R be a unital ring (not necessarily commutative), and let M be an
Abelian group. We say that M is a left R-module if each r ∈ R and m ∈ M
determine an element rm of M , and the identities

r(x + y) = rx + ry, (r + s)x = rx + sx, (rs)x = r(sx), 1x = x

are satisfied for all x, y ∈ M and r, s ∈ R. Similarly we say that M is a right

R-module if each r ∈ R and m ∈ M determine an element mr of M , and the
identities

(x + y)r = xr + yr, x(r + s) = xr + xs, x(rs) = (xr)s, x1 = x

are satisfied for all x, y ∈ M and r, s ∈ R. (If R is commutative then the

distinction between left R-modules and right R-modules is simply a question
of notation; this is not the case if R is non-commutative.)

3.9 Noetherian Rings and Hilbert’s Basis Theorem

Let R be a unital commutative ring. We can regard the ring R as an R-
module, where the ring R acts on itself by left multiplication (so that r . r0
is the product rr0 of r and r0 for all elements r and r0 of R). We then find
that a subset of R is an ideal of R if and only if it is a submodule of R. The
following result therefore follows directly from Proposition 3.17.

Proposition 3.20 Let R be a unital commutative ring. Then the following

are equivalent:—

(i) (Ascending Chain Condition) if I1 ⊂ I2 ⊂ I3 ⊂ · · · is an ascending

chain of ideals of R then there exists an integer N such that In = IN
for all n ≥ N ;

(ii) (Maximal Condition) every non-empty collection of ideals of R has a

maximal element (i.e., an ideal which is not contained in any other
ideal belonging to the collection);

18
 (iii) (Finite Basis Condition) every ideal of R is finitely-generated.

Definition A unital commutative ring is said to be a Noetherian ring if every

ideal of the ring is finitely-generated. A Noetherian domain is a Noetherian
ring that is also an integral domain.

Note that a unital commutative ring R is Noetherian if it satisfies any

one of the conditions of Proposition 3.20.

Corollary 3.21 Let M be a finitely-generated module over a Noetherian ring

R. Then M is a Noetherian R-module.

Proof Let {x1 , x2 , . . . , xk } be a finite generating set for M . Let Rk be the

direct sum of k copies of R, and let ϕ: Rk → M be the homomorphism of
R-modules sending (r1 , r2 , . . . , rk ) ∈ Rk to

r1 x 1 + r2 x 2 + · · · + rk x k .

It follows from Corollary 3.19 that Rk is a Noetherian R-module (since the

Noetherian ring R is itself a Noetherian R-module). Moreover M is isomor-
phic to Rk / ker ϕ, since ϕ: Rk → M is surjective. It follows from Proposi-
tion 3.18 that M is Noetherian, as required.

If I is a proper ideal of a Noetherian ring R then the collection of all

proper ideals of R that contain the ideal I is clearly non-empty (since I
itself belongs to the collection). It follows immediately from the Maximal
Condition that I is contained in some maximal ideal of R.

Lemma 3.22 Let R be a Noetherian ring, and let I be an ideal of R. Then

the quotient ring R/I is Noetherian.

Proof Let L be an ideal of R/I, and let J = {x ∈ R : I + x ∈ L}. Then J

is an ideal of R, and therefore there exists a finite subset {a1 , a2 , . . . , ak } of
J which generates J. But then L is generated by I + ai for i = 1, 2, . . . , k.
Indeed every element of L is of the form I + x for some x ∈ J, and if

x = r1 a1 + r2 a2 + · · · + rk ak

, where r1 , r2 , . . . , rk ∈ R, then

I + x = r1 (I + a1 ) + r2 (I + a2 ) + · · · + rk (I + ak ),

as required.

19
 Hilbert showed that if R is a field or is the ring Z of integers, then every
ideal of R[x1 , x2 , . . . , xn ] is finitely-generated. The method that Hilbert used
to prove this result can be generalized to yield the following theorem.

Theorem 3.23 (Hilbert’s Basis Theorem) If R is a Noetherian ring, then

so is the polynomial ring R[x].

Proof Let I be an ideal of R[x], and, for each non-negative integer n, let
In denote the subset of R consisting of those elements of R that occur as
leading coefficients of polynomials of degree n belonging to I, together with
the zero element of R. Then In is an ideal of R. Moreover In ⊂ In+1 , for if
p(x) is a polynomial of degree n belonging to I then xp(x) is a polynomial of
degree n+1 belonging to I which has the same leading coefficient. Thus I0 ⊂
I1 ⊂ I2 ⊂ · · · is an ascending chain of ideals of R. But the Noetherian ring
R satisfies the Ascending Chain Condition (see Proposition 3.20). Therefore
there exists some natural number m such that In = Im for all n ≥ m.
Now each ideal In is finitely-generated, hence, for each n ≤ m, we can
choose a finite set {an,1 , an,2 , . . . , an,kn } which generates In . Moreover each
generator an,i is the leading coefficient of some polynomial qn,i of degree n
belonging to I. Let J be the ideal of R[x] generated by the polynomials qn,i
for all 0 ≤ n ≤ m and 1 ≤ i ≤ kn . Then J is finitely-generated. We shall
show by induction on deg p that every polynomial p belonging to I must
belong to J, and thus I = J. Now if p ∈ I and deg p = 0 then p is a constant
polynomial whose value belongs to I0 (by definition of I0 ), and thus p is a
linear combination of the constant polynomials q0,i (since the values a0,i of
the constant polynomials q0,i generate I0 ), showing that p ∈ J. Thus the
result holds for all p ∈ I of degree 0.
Now suppose that p ∈ I is a polynomial of degree n and that the result
is true for all polynomials p in I of degree less than n. Consider first the
case when n ≤ m. Let b be the leading coefficient of p. Then there exist
c1 , c2 , . . . , ckn ∈ R such that
b = c1 an,1 + c2 an,2 + · · · + ckn an,kn ,
since an,1 , an,2 , . . . , an,kn generate the ideal In of R. Then
p(x) = c1 qn,1 (x) + c2 qn,2 (x) + · · · + ck qn,k (x) + r(x),
where r ∈ I and deg r < deg p. It follows from the induction hypothesis that
r ∈ J. But then p ∈ J. This proves the result for all polynomials p in I
satisfying deg p ≤ m.
Finally suppose that p ∈ I is a polynomial of degree n where n > m, and
that the result has been verified for all polynomials of degree less than n.

20
Then the leading coefficient b of p belongs to In . But In = Im , since n ≥ m.
As before, we see that there exist c1 , c2 , . . . , ckm ∈ R such that

b = c1 am,1 + c2 am,2 + · · · + ckn am,km ,

since am,1 , am,2 , . . . , am,km generate the ideal In of R. Then

p(x) = c1 xn−m qm,1 (x) + c2 xn−m qm,2 (x) + · · · + ck xn−m qm,k (x) + r(x),

where r ∈ I and deg r < deg p. It follows from the induction hypothesis that
r ∈ J. But then p ∈ J. This proves the result for all polynomials p in I
satisfying deg p > m. Therefore I = J, and thus I is finitely-generated, as
required.

Theorem 3.24 Let R be a Noetherian ring. Then the ring R[x1 , x2 , . . . , xn ]

of polynomials in the indeterminates x1 , x2 , . . . , xn with coefficients in R is a
Noetherian ring.

Proof It is easy to see to see that R[x1 , x2 , . . . , xn ] is naturally isomorphic

to R[x1 , x2 , . . . , xn−1 ][xn ] when n > 1. (Any polynomial in the indeter-
minates x1 , x2 , . . . , xn with coefficients in the ring R may be viewed as a
polynomial in the indeterminate xn with coefficients in the polynomial ring
R[x1 , x2 , . . . , xn−1 ].) The required results therefore follows from Hilbert’s
Basis Theorem (Theorem 3.23) by induction on n.

Corollary 3.25 Let K be a field. Then every ideal of the polynomial ring
K[x1 , x2 , . . . , xn ] is finitely-generated.

3.10 The Structure of Algebraic Sets

Let K be a field. We shall apply Hilbert’s Basis Theorem in order to study the
structure of algebraic sets in n-dimensional affine space An over the field K.
We shall continue to use the notation for algebraic sets in An and correspond-
ing ideals of the polynomial ring that was established earlier.
The following result is a direct consequence of the Hilbert Basis Theorem.

Proposition 3.26 Let V be an algebraic set in An . Then there exists a finite

collection f1 , f2 , f3 , . . . of polynomials in n independent indeterminates such
that
V = {x ∈ An : fi (x) = 0 for i = 1, 2, . . . , k}.

21
Proof The set V is an algebraic set, and therefore V = V (I) for some
ideal I of K[X1 , X2 , . . . , Xn ]. Moreover it follows from Corollary 3.25 that
I is generated by some finite set {f1 , f2 , . . . , fk } of polynomials. But then
V = V ({f1 , f2 , . . . , fk }), and thus V is of the required form.

A algebraic hypersurface in An is a algebraic set of An of the form V (f )

for some non-constant polynomial f ∈ K[X1 , X2 , . . . , Xn ], where

V (f ) = {x ∈ An : f (x) = 0}.

Corollary 3.27 Every proper algebraic set in An is the intersection of a

finite number of algebraic hypersurfaces.

Proof The empty set in An can be represented as an intersection of two

hyperplanes (e.g., x1 = 0 and x1 = 1). Suppose therefore that the proper
algebraic set V is non-empty. It follows from Proposition 3.26 that there
exists a finite set {f1 , f2 , . . . , fk } polynomials belonging to K[X1 , X2 , . . . , Xn ]
such that V = V ({f1 , f2 , . . . , fk }). Moreover the polynomials f1 , f2 , . . . , fk
cannot all be zero, since V 6= An ; we can therefore assume (by removing
the zero polynomials from the list) that the polynomials f1 , f2 , . . . , fk are
non-zero. They must then all be non-constant, since V is non-empty. But
then
V = V (f1 ) ∩ V (f2 ) ∩ · · · ∩ V (fk ),
as required.

Proposition 3.28 Let C be a collection of subsets of An that are open with

respect to the Zariski topology on An . Then there exists a finite collection
, Dk of open sets belonging to C such that D1 ∪ D2 ∪ · · · ∪ Dk is
D1 , D2 , . . .S
the union D∈C D of all the open sets D belonging to C.

Proof It follows from the definition of the Zariski topology that, for each
open set D belonging to C, therePexists an ideal ID of K[X1 , X2 , . . . , Xn ] such
that D = An \ V (ID ). Let I = D∈C ID . Then
[ [ \
D = (An \ V (ID )) = An \ V (ID )
D∈C D∈C D∈C
X 
= An \ V ID = An \ V (I)
D∈C

(see Proposition 3.15). Now the ideal I is finitely-generated (Corollary 3.25).

Moreover there exists a finite generating set {f1 , f2 , . . . , fk } for I with the
property that each generator fi belongs to one of the ideals ID , since if we
are given any finite generating set for I, then each of the generators can

22
be expressed as a finite sum of elements taken from the ideals ID , and the
collection of all these elements constitutes a finite generating set for I which
is of the required form. Choose D1 , D2 , . . . , Dk ∈ C such that fi ∈ IDi for
i = 1, 2, . . . , k. Then

I = ID1 + ID2 + · · · + IDk ,

and thus
k
! k
[ X [
D = An − V (I) = An − V IDi = Di ,
D∈C
i=1 i=1

as required.

We recall that a topological space is compact if and only if every open

cover of that space has a finite subcover. The following result therefore
follows directly from Proposition 3.28.

Corollary 3.29 Every subset of An is compact with respect to the Zariski

topology.

3.11 Maximal Ideals and Zorn’s Lemma

Definition Let R be a ring. A proper ideal I of R is said to be maximal if
the only ideals J of R satisfying I ⊂ J ⊂ R are J = I and J = R.

Lemma 3.30 A proper ideal I of a unital commutative ring R is maximal

if and only if the quotient ring R/I is a field.

Proof Let I be a proper ideal of the unital commutative ring R. Then the
quotient ring R/I is unital and commutative. Moreover there is a one-to-
one correspondence between ideals L of R/I and ideals J of R satisfying
I ⊂ J ⊂ R: if J is any ideal of R satisfying I ⊂ J ⊂ R, and if L is the
corresponding ideal of R/I then I + x ∈ L if and only if x ∈ J. We deduce
that I is a maximal ideal of R if and only if the only ideals of R/I are the
zero ideal {I} and R/I itself. It follows from Lemma 3.4 that I is a maximal
ideal of R if and only if R/I is a field.

We claim that every proper ideal of a ring R is contained in at least one

maximal ideal. In order to prove this result we shall make use of Zorn’s
Lemma concerning the existence of maximal elements of partially ordered
sets.

23
Definition Let S be a set. A partial order ≤ on S is a relation on S
satisfying the following conditions:—

(i) x ≤ x for all x ∈ S (i.e., the relation ≤ is reflexive),

(ii) if x, y, z ∈ S satisfy x ≤ y and y ≤ z then x ≤ z (i.e., the relation ≤ is

transitive),

(iii) if x, y ∈ S satisfy x ≤ y and y ≤ x then x = y (i.e., the relation ≤ is

antisymmetric).

Neither of the conditions x ≤ y or y ≤ x need necessarily be satisfied by

arbitrary elements x and y of a partially ordered set S. A subset C of S is
said to be totally ordered if one or other of the conditions x ≤ y and y ≤ x
holds for each pair {x, y} of elements of C.

Example Let S be a collection of subsets of some given set. Then S is

partially ordered with respect to the relation ⊂ (where A, B ∈ S satisfy
A ⊂ B if and only if A is a subset of B).

Example The set N of natural numbers is partially ordered with respect to

the relation |, where n|m if and only if n divides m.

Let ≤ be the ordering relation on a partially ordered set S. An element u

of S is said to be an upper bound for a subset B of S if x ≤ u for all x ∈ B.
An element m of S is said to be maximal if the only element x of S satisfying
m ≤ x is m itself.
The following result is an important theorem in set theory.

Zorn’s Lemma. Let S be a non-empty partially ordered set.

Suppose that there exists an upper bound for each totally ordered
subset of S. Then S contains a maximal element.

We use Zorn’s lemma in order to prove the following existence theorem

for maximal ideals.

Theorem 3.31 Let R be a unital ring, and let I be a proper ideal of R.

Then there exists a maximal ideal M of R satisfying I ⊂ M ⊂ R.

Proof Let S be the set of all proper ideals J of R satisfying I ⊂ J. The set S
is non-empty, since I ∈ S, and is partially ordered by the inclusion relation ⊂.
We claim that there exists an upper bound for any totally ordered subset C
of S.

24
 Let L be the union of all the ideals belonging to some totally ordered
subset C of S. We claim that L is itself a proper ideal of R. Let a and b be
elements of L. Then there exist proper ideals J1 and J2 belonging to C such
that a ∈ J1 and b ∈ J2 . Moreover either J1 ⊂ J2 or else J2 ⊂ J1 , since the
subset C of S is totally ordered. It follows that a + b belongs either to J1 or
else to J2 , and thus a + b ∈ L. Similarly −a ∈ L, ra ∈ L and ar ∈ L for
all r ∈ R. We conclude that L is an ideal of R. Moreover 1 6∈ L, since the
elements of C are proper ideals of R, and therefore 1 6∈ J for every J ∈ C. It
follows that L is a proper ideal of R satisfying I ⊂ L. Thus L ∈ S, and L is
an upper bound for C.
The conditions of Zorn’s Lemma are satisfied by the partially ordered
set S. Therefore S contains a maximal element M . This maximal element
is the required maximal ideal of R containing the ideal I.

Corollary 3.32 Every unital ring has at least one maximal ideal.

Proof Apply Theorem 3.31 with I = {0}.

3.12 Prime Ideals

Definition Let R be a unital ring. A proper ideal I is said to be prime if,
given any ideals J and K satisfying JK ⊂ I, either J ⊂ I or K ⊂ I.

The following result provides an alternative description of prime ideals of

a ring that is both unital and commutative.

Lemma 3.33 Let R be a unital commutative ring. A proper ideal I of R

is prime if and only if, given any elements x and y of R satisfying xy ∈ I,
either x ∈ I or y ∈ I.

Proof Let I be a proper ideal of R. Suppose that I has the property that,
given any elements x and y of R satisfying xy ∈ I, either x ∈ I or y ∈ I.
Let J and K be ideals of R neither of which is a subset of the ideal I. Then
there exist elements x ∈ J and y ∈ K which do not belong to I. But then xy
belongs to JK but does not belong to I. Thus the ideal JK is not a subset
of I. This shows that the ideal I is prime.
Conversely, suppose that I is a prime ideal of R. Let x and y be elements
of R satisfying xy ∈ I, and let J and K be the ideals generated by x and y
respectively. Then

J = {rx : r ∈ R}, K = {ry : r ∈ R},

25
since R is unital and commutative (see Lemma 3.5). It follows easily that
JK = {rxy : r ∈ R}. Now xy ∈ I. It follows that JK ⊂ I. But I is prime.
Therefore either J ⊂ I or K ⊂ I, and thus either x ∈ I or y ∈ I.

Example Let n be a natural number. Then the ideal nZ of the ring Z of

integers is a prime ideal if and only if n is a prime number. For an integer j
belongs to the ideal nZ if and only if n divides j. Thus the ideal nZ is prime
if and only if, given any integers j and k such that n divides jk, either n
divides j or n divides k. But it follows easily from the Fundamental Theorem
of Arithmetic that a natural number n has this property if and only if n is
a prime number. (The Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic states that any
natural number can be factorized uniquely as a product of prime numbers.)

Lemma 3.34 An ideal I of a unital commutative ring R is prime if and

only if the quotient ring R/I is an integral domain.

Proof If I is a proper ideal of the unital commutative ring R then the

quotient ring R/I is both unital and commutative. Moreover the zero element
of R/I is I itself (regarded as a coset of I in R). Thus R/I is an integral
domain if and only if, given elements x and y of R such that (I +x)(I +y) = I,
either I + x = I or I + y = I. But (I + x)(I + y) = I + xy for all x, y ∈ R,
and I + x = I if and only if x ∈ I. We conclude that R/I is an integral
domain if and only if I is prime, as required.

Lemma 3.35 Every maximal ideal of a unital commutative ring R is a prime

ideal.

Proof Let M be a maximal ideal of R. Then the quotient ring R/M is a

field (see Lemma 3.30). In particular R/M is an integral domain, and hence
M is a prime ideal.

3.13 Affine Varieties and Irreducibility

Definition A topological space Z is said to be reducible if it can be decom-
posed as a union F1 ∪ F2 of two proper closed subsets F1 and F2 . (A subset
of Z is proper if it is not the whole of Z.) A topological space Z is said to
be irreducible if it cannot be decomposed as a union of two proper closed
subsets.

Lemma 3.36 Let Z be a topological space. The following are equivalent:—

(i) Z is irreducible,

26
 (ii) the intersection of any two non-empty open sets in Z is non-empty,

(iii) every non-empty open subset of Z is dense.

Moreover a subset A of a topological space Z is irreducible (with respect to

the subspace topology) if and only if its closure A is irreducible.

Proof The topological space Z is irreducible if and only if the union of any
two proper closed subsets of Z is a proper subset of Z. Now the complement
of any proper closed set is a non-empty open set, and vica versa. Thus on
taking complements we see that Z is irreducible if and only if the intersection
of any two non-empty open subsets of Z is a non-empty subset of Z. This
shows the equivalence of (i) and (ii).
The equivalence of (ii) and (iii) follows from the fact that a subset of Z
is dense if and only if it has non-empty intersection with every non-empty
open set in Z.
Let A be a subset of Z. It follows directly from the definition of the
subspace topology on A that A is irreducible if and only if, given any closed
sets F1 and F2 such that A ⊂ F1 ∪ F2 then either A ⊂ F1 or A ⊂ F2 . Now if
F is any closed subset of Z then A ⊂ F if and only if A ⊂ F . It follows that
A is irreducible if and only if A is irreducible.

It follows immediately from Lemma 3.36 that an irreducible topological

space is Hausdorff if and only if it consists of a single point.

Lemma 3.37 Any irreducible topological space is connected.

Proof A topological space Z is connected if and only if the only subsets of Z

that are both open and closed are the empty set ∅ and the whole set Z. Thus
suppose that the topological space Z were not connected. Then there would
exist a non-empty proper subset U of Z that was both open and closed. Let
V = Z \ U . Then U and V would be disjoint non-empty open sets. It would
then follow from Lemma 3.36 that Z could not be irreducible.

Lemma 3.38 Let V be an algebraic set, and let V1 be a proper algebraic

subset of V . Then there exists f ∈ K[X1 , X2 , . . . , Xn ] such that f (x) = 0 for
all x ∈ V1 but f 6∈ I(V ).

Proof The inclusion V1 ⊂ V implies that I(V ) ⊂ I(V1 ). Now V = V (I(V ))

and V1 = V (I(V1 )). Thus if V1 is a proper subset of V then I(V ) 6= I(V1 ),
and hence there exists f ∈ I(V1 ) such that f 6∈ I(V ). Then f is the required
polynomial.

27
Proposition 3.39 A non-empty algebraic set V in An is irreducible (with
respect to the Zariski topology) if and only if the ideal I(V ) is a prime ideal
of K[X1 , X2 , . . . , Xn ].
Proof Suppose that the algebraic set V is irreducible. Let f and g be
polynomials in K[X1 , X2 , . . . , Xn ] with the property that f g ∈ I(V ). Then
V ⊂ V (f )∪V (g), since, given any point of V , one or other of the polynomials
f and g must be zero at that point. Let V1 = V ∩ V (f ) and V2 = V ∩ V (g).
Then V1 and V2 are algebraic subsets of V , and V = V1 ∪ V2 . Therefore either
V = V1 or V = V2 , since the irreducible algebraic set V cannot be expressed
as a union of two proper algebraic subsets. It follows that either f ∈ I(V )
or else g ∈ I(V ). Thus I(V ) is prime, by Lemma 3.33.
Conversely, suppose that V is reducible. Then there exist proper algebraic
subsets V1 and V2 of V such that V = V1 ∪V2 . It then follows from Lemma 3.38
that there exist polynomials f and g in K[X1 , X2 , . . . , Xn ] such that f (x) = 0
for all x ∈ V1 , g(x) = 0 for all x ∈ V2 , and neither f nor g belongs to I(V ).
But then f (x)g(x) = 0 for all x ∈ V , since V = V1 ∪V2 , and hence f g ∈ I(V ).
Thus the ideal I(V ) is not prime.
Definition An affine algebraic variety is an irreducible algebraic set in An .
Theorem 3.40 Every algebraic set in An can be expressed as a finite union
of affine algebraic varieties.
Proof Let C be the collection of all ideals I of K[X1 , X2 , . . . , Xn ] with the
property that the corresponding algebraic set V (I) cannot be expressed as a
finite union of affine varieties. We claim that C cannot contain any maximal
element.
Let I be an ideal of K[X1 , X2 , . . . , Xn ] belonging to C. Then the algebraic
set V (I) cannot itself be an affine variety, and therefore there must exist
proper algebraic subsets V1 and V2 of V such that V (I) = V1 ∪ V2 . Let
I1 = I(V1 ) and I2 = I(V2 ). Then I(V (I)) ⊂ I1 and I(V (I)) ⊂ I2 , since
V1 ⊂ V (I) and V2 ⊂ V (I). Also I ⊂ I(V (I)). It follows that I ⊂ I1 and
I ⊂ I2 . Moreover V (I1 ) = V1 and V (I2 ) = V2 , since V1 and V2 are algebraic
sets (see Lemma 3.14), and thus V (I1 ) 6= V (I) and V (I2 ) 6= V (I). It follows
that I 6= I1 and I 6= I2 . Thus I is a proper subset of both I1 and I2 .
Now V1 and V2 cannot both be finite unions of affine varieties, since V (I)
is not a finite union of affine varieties. Thus one or other of the ideals I1 and I2
must belong to the collection C. It follows that no ideal I belonging to C can
be maximal in C. But every non-empty collection of ideals of the Noetherian
ring K[X1 , X2 , . . . , Xn ] must have a maximal element (see Proposition 3.20).
Therefore C must be empty, and thus every algebraic set in An is a finite
union of affine varieties, as required.

28
 We shall show that every algebraic set in An has an essentially unique
representation as a finite union of affine varieties.

Lemma 3.41 Let V1 , V2 , . . . , Vk be algebraic sets in An , and let W be an

affine variety satisfying W ⊂ V1 ∪ V2 ∪ · · · ∪ Vk . Then W ⊂ Vi for some i.

Proof The affine variety W is the union of the algebraic sets W ∩ Vi for
i = 1, 2, . . . , k. It follows from the irreducibility of W that the algebraic sets
W ∩ Vi cannot all be proper subsets of W . Hence W = W ∩ Vi for some i,
and hence W ⊂ Vi , as required.

Proposition 3.42 Let V be an algebraic set in An , and let V = V1 ∪ V2 ∪

· · · Vk , where V1 , V2 , . . . , Vk are affine varieties, and Vi 6⊂ Vj for any j 6= i.
Then V1 , V2 , . . . , Vk are uniquely determined by V .

Proof Suppose that V = W1 ∪W2 ∪· · · Wm , where W1 , W2 , . . . , Wm are affine

varieties, and Wi 6⊂ Wj for any j 6= i. Now it follows from Lemma 3.41 that,
for each integer i between 1 and k, there exists some integer σ(i) between 1
and m such that Vi ⊂ Wσ(i) . Similarly, for each integer j between 1 and m,
there exists some integer τ (j) between 1 and k such that Wj ⊂ Vτ (j) . Now
Vi ⊂ Wσ(i) ⊂ Vτ (σ(i)) , But Vi 6⊂ Vi0 for any i0 6= i. It follows that i = τ (σ(i))
and Vi = Wσ(i) . Similarly Wj ⊂ Vτ (j) ⊂ Wσ(τ (j)) , and thus j = σ(τ (j)) and
Wj = Vτ (j) . We deduce that

σ: {1, 2, . . . , k} → {1, 2, . . . , m}

is a bijection with inverse τ , and thus k = m. Moreover Vi = Wσ(i) , and thus

the varieties V1 , V2 , . . . , Vk are uniquely determined by V , as required.

Let V be an algebraic set, and let V = V1 ∪V2 ∪· · · Vk , where V1 , V2 , . . . , Vk

are affine varieties, and Vi 6⊂ Vj for any j 6= i. The varieties V1 , V2 , . . . , Vk are
referred to as the irreducible components of V .

3.14 Radical Ideals

Definition Let R be a unital commutative ring. An ideal I of R is said to
be a radical ideal if every element x of R with the property that xm ∈ I for
some natural number m belongs to I.

Lemma 3.43 Every prime ideal of a unital commutative ring R is a radical

ideal.

29
Proof Let I be a prime ideal. Suppose that x ∈ R satisfies xm ∈ I. If m = 1
then we are done. If not, then either x ∈ I or xm−1 ∈ I, since I is prime.
Thus it follows by induction on m that x ∈ I. Thus I is a radical ideal.
√
Lemma 3.44 Let I be an ideal of a unital commutative ring R, and let I
m
√ x of R with the property that x ∈ I√for some
denote the set of all elements
natural number m. Then I is a radical ideal of R. Moreover I = I if and
only if I is a radical ideal of R.
√
Proof Let x and y be elements of I. Then there exist natural numbers m
and n such that xm ∈ I and y n ∈ I. Now
m+n
X m + n
m+n
(x + y) = xi y m+n−i ,
i=0
i

(where x0 = 1 = y 0 ), and moreover, given any value of i between 0 and

m + n, either i ≥ m or m + n − i ≥ n, so that √ either xi ∈ I or y m+n−i ∈ I.
Therefore (x + y)m+n√∈ I, and thus x + y ∈ I. √Also −x ∈ I and rx ∈ I
√ r ∈ R. Thus I is an ideal of R. Clearly I is a radical ideal, and
for all
I = I if and only if I is a radical ideal.
√
The ideal I is referred to as the radical of the ideal I.

Lemma 3.45 Let Z be a subset of An . Then I(Z) is a radical ideal of the

polynomial ring K[X1 , X2 , . . . , Xn ]. Moreover Z = V (I(Z)) if and only if Z
is an algebraic set in An .

Proof Note that if g and h are polynomials belonging to K[X1 , X2 , . . . , Xn ]

which are zero throughout the set Z then the same is true of the polynomials
g + h, −g and f g for all f ∈ K[X1 , X2 , . . . , Xn ]. Therefore I is an ideal of
K[X1 , X2 , . . . , Xn ]. Moreover g m is identically zero on Z if and only if the
same is true of g. Therefore the ideal I(Z) is a radical ideal. If Z = V (I(Z))
then Z is clearly an algebraic set. Conversely, if Z is an algebraic set then
Z = V (S) for some subset S of K[X1 , X2 , . . . , Xn ], and therefore

V (I(Z)) = V (I(V (S))) = V (S) = Z,

by Lemma 3.14, as required.

Lemma 3.46 Let S be a subset of the polynomial ring K[X1 , X√2 , . . . , Xn ],

and let I be the ideal generated by S. Then V (S) = V (I) = V ( I), where
√
I is the radical of the ideal I. Thus every algebraic set in An is of the form
V (I) for some radical ideal I of K[X1 , X2 , . . . , Xn ].

30
Proof The ideal I(V (S)) of K[X1 , X2 , . . . , Xn ] contains the set S. Therefore
√
I ⊂ I(V (S)), where I is the ideal generated by S. Moreover if f ∈ I then
f m ∈ I for some natural number m, and thus f m ∈ I(V (S)). But I(V (S))
is a radical ideal (see Lemma 3.45). Therefore f ∈ I(V (S)). Thus
√
S ⊂ I ⊂ I ⊂ I(V (S)).

It follows that
√
V (I(V (S))) ⊂ V ( I) ⊂ V (I) ⊂ V (S).

But√ V (I(V (S))) = V (S) (see Lemma 3.14). Therefore V (S) = V (I) =
V ( I), as required.

31